Alaska Land Tour First - thought it was a good idea

[wblotner66]

For this if you with the land tour first I’d seriously give it second thought. Princess isn’t even checking for negative tests before boarding the busses/trains. Then very few people masked and many are coughing a lung up. They will test you at your last stop before boarding the ship. I haven’t done it yet but people from Beacon (people who are doing the tests) tell me there are many many positives. Trip over back to Anchorage.

[Thrak]

We have only done this pre-Covid. (Or, if one prefers, pre-Rona as my neice prefers. - Dang, I'm getting pretty darn old I guess.) We thoroughly enjoyed doing the land portion first and the cruise afterward. It has worked out well for us in more ways than one.

 

1. Doing the land portion first leaves the last 7 days to relax and unwind on the ship

 

2. Both times we have done an Alaskan Land Tour prior to a southbound sailing after the land tour we have boarded the ship healthy and, within 1 - 1.5 days, come down with the "cruise crud". It's a drag to be feeling great after seeing incredible scenery and enjoying the quiet evening in the rocking chair on your deck at Princess Kenai Lodge and then board the ship and almost immediately be snuffling, coughing and "hacking".  Both times we have retreated to our cabin quickly only to find that nobody else did and 80% of the passengers are now snuffling, coughing, and "hacking". Great....

 

If we are going to get sick on a cruise (seems to be endemic to this southbound itinerary from Alaska) we would much rather weather the storm in our own home.

 

Post Covid (waaaaay BS.There is no "Post Covid" as Covid is ongoing...) cruising is obviously going to be different. The testing requirements are in flux and that is adding to the anxiety of cruisers. All in all, I think we would still do the land portion first.

 

Note: 2 Connoisseur cruise tours to Alaska. 

2016 - 13 Day

2019 - 15 Day

 

Edit:  I don't really think the testing is doing much good. Soooooooooooooo many can test "negative" today and "positive" tomorrow -- or even just a few hours later. Covid is here to stay - just like the "regular" (although evolving) influenza (which we all tend to refer to as simply, "the flu").

Edited July 8, 2022 by Thrak

[Mom&MeCruiseAL]

Princess just changed the unvaccinated percentage allowed onboard from 5 % to 10 %.   They must be confident that the people testing positive onboard are having relatively light cases.

[Keksie]

I think as long as testing to get on a ship is in place it would be wise to take the land portion of the cruise/tour after the cruise.  Once testing goes away it does make sense to take the land portion first because as Thrak stated you can relax and unwind on the ship.  

[CalLuvsCrusingToo]

I think it would be hard to relax & unwind on the ship, when youve just caught covid

on your pre-cruise Land portion. 

You go to check in embarcation &  Maybe not testing positive..... Yet.

Thanks for headsup wblotner66.

 

Edited July 8, 2022 by CalLuvsCrusingToo

[broker1217]

8 hours ago, wblotner66 said:

For this if you with the land tour first I’d seriously give it second thought. Princess isn’t even checking for negative tests before boarding the busses/trains. Then very few people masked and many are coughing a lung up. They will test you at your last stop before boarding the ship. I haven’t done it yet but people from Beacon (people who are doing the tests) tell me there are many many positives. Trip over back to Anchorage.

I agree.

We just did Majestic with the land portion first. There was no check of our pre-flight COVID test.

 

While you are not on a ship, there are so many long (3-4+ hour) coach and train transfers. They are crowded and the vast majority do not mask or respect space. We had a coach driver that was not masked, coughing and complaining of a sore throat. 

We wore masks and feel fortunate we tested negative before boarding the ship. But the ship---what a nightmare. No mask enforcement and so many people coughing and obviously ill. 

Disembarkation was especially crowded and probably 20% of people coughing away with no masks.

 

We tested positive the day after we got home---and we wore KN95 masks on all busses, trains, planes. We masked up on the ship and ate all but 4 meals outdoors (that's our normal preference). No shows, no casino, no socializing---again our preference.

 

Be aware that the Princess ship was largely an anti-mask crowd. Make sure you are comfortable with that and that you know what your plan is if you get COVID during your trip. Bring extra tests, meds, and whatever you need if you get isolated/quarantined.

 

 

[sunsetme]

why doesn't Princess do a better job with the pre cruise tour masks, testing and spacing?? They are creating a nightmare scenario. Either they have to deal with people who can;t take the cruise or they are exposing cruisers to the pre cruise tourists.

[broker1217]

On that note--I'm out of here.

Best of luck to those cruising Alaska!

I hope you are all able to travel COVID free and enjoy your travels!

We loved our land tour but it is a risky thing right now with the lack of protocols on Princess and the crowded transfers.

Make sure you plan for the worst and hope for the best!

[basil92008]

When is the COVID test done? We are staying at Denali Princess and then taking the long 9 hour train to board the ship in Whittier. Will it be done that morning?

 

Do you get to swab yourself or does someone do it for you?

[odie1024]

We did 15 day Connoisseur tour in June and our last lodge was Kenai Princess and they tested us on Thursday and Friday before boarding the ship in Whittier on Saturday and yes you swab yourself. As for pre testing for land portion we had arrived in Alaska a few days prior to start of cruisetour and did proctored tests that Friday morning in Fairbanks before joinging the group on Saturday. Our tour director when we asked about him wanting to see the results was Princess told him he could not ask for them and it was an honor system that assumes you are negative.  I am not sure if anyone in our group of 47 tested postitive as it seemed like we were all there when we got to Whittier. Have no idea how many were positive on our ship, just know we had a great time and never tested positive even after getting home. 

[basil92008]

They tested you twice? or some were tested on Thursday and some tested on Friday?

 

Interesting about the pretesting being on the honor system!!

[DougandEric]

Aside from Covid, personally I think doing the land tour first makes the most sense.  The first land tour I did was after a southbound Alaska cruise on the old HAL Noordam with my mother.  The cruise was great but the land portion was too 'hectic'.  We had to have our luggage out the door of the hotel as early as 6AM which meant getting up around 5 to get showered and dressed.  Bus didn't leave until 7AM or later.  Mornings were too early and you frequently had to drive around the city you were staying in before you could go to the hotel for the night because they couldn't arrive before a specific time.  Lots of wasted time in my opinion.  The most recent trip we were on Sapphire Princess and did a 4 day pre-cruise Denali to Whittier with the train and it was so much nicer.  Also staying at the Princess lodges was preferrable to hotels.  Check in for the cruise was a breeze since it was done on the train and you were given your keycards when you exited the train, went right through security and onto the ship.  I think doing the more active part first is best for us.

[cruisequeen4ever]

I feel very sorry for everyone who ends up testing positive on the land tour and being unable to do the cruise as a result. At the same time, I am very glad they require testing before the cruise since it is a congregate setting, and a lot of time is spent indoors due to the cold weather. I live in AK, and the news announced this week that there’s high community spread in the Denali area now, so they’re requiring masks. There’s limited medical care out there, so it’s wise to be extra careful. Testing and masks aren’t foolproof, but they help. 

[wblotner66]

On 7/8/2022 at 7:58 AM, memoak said:

300 people a day do not die from having a cold 

Mostly non vaccinated. And there was always people who die from the flu. I’m not minimizing the loss of life but this virus will never go away so we need to get back to life.  I tested positive now but have almost no symptoms.

[wblotner66]

18 hours ago, broker1217 said:

Because they simply don't care, or they don't dare upset their anti-mask base.

It will be interesting to see how the 2022 Alaska cruise season ends up.

 

I find it irritating that they are presenting one thing (protocols and safety) and giving their paying customers a completely different experience.

That's why I won't cruise Princess again---one and done for us.

We are done also. I’m all for freedoms and don’t believe in lockdowns but cruises are ripe for infection so either require masks be worn or don’t prohibit people from getting on with testing 

[wblotner66]

17 hours ago, Coupe said:

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/scottmorefield/2022/06/05/new-study-mask-mandates-associated-with-increased-covid-death-rate-n2608241 

 

This is one of dozens of studies around the world in the last few years. It's not hard to find if you look. Try looking yoursel unless you are just here to argue.

I wear true N95 masks that are NIOSH certified and still got it. 

[wblotner66]

6 hours ago, basil92008 said:

When is the COVID test done? We are staying at Denali Princess and then taking the long 9 hour train to board the ship in Whittier. Will it be done that morning?

 

Do you get to swab yourself or does someone do it for you?

You will test the day before and you do it yourself 

[Cali Viajera]

We were tested at the Kenai Princess two days before the cruise in Whittier. A health tech swabbed us.

[voljeep]

On 7/9/2022 at 2:42 PM, wblotner66 said:

I wear true N95 masks that are NIOSH certified and still got it. 

who did the professional fitting for you for that mask?

[wblotner66]

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

who did the professional fitting for you for that mask?

 

4 hours ago, voljeep said:

who did the professional fitting for you for that mask?

My son is a Dr.

[USCcruisecrazy]

The cruise lines are certainly packing them in for the land tours.  We saw many, many buses around Denali, in Anchorage, and all points on the highways between the two.  We did 2 weeks of a land tour on our own and have to say, the weather was some of the best June/July weather I've ever seen, and I lived there for 4 years.  But caution if you must...no such thing anywhere we went having mandatory masks.  From breweries (lots now in Alaska) to restaurants, from the parks to the tourist shops...we saw very few masks, but also saw or heard no one seemingly sick. If you don't want to risk the land tour and then getting on the ship, I recommend planning a road trip and hitting up the sites, especially some out of the way that the land tour doesn't do.  It was awesome!!!